Feeding Bottles for Newborns: What Actually Matters in the First Weeks

With so many baby bottles available to new parents, we want to guide you through the noise so you can choose the right feeding bottles for newborns. When you’re navigating the newborn stage, it’s not about using the “best baby bottle”. It’s about what supports your feeding setup right now, in your first weeks with a newborn.

Why Feeding a Newborn Is Different

When your baby is just born, their stomach is tiny! It’s roughly the same size as a cherry, and by the time they are a month old, it’s about the size of a large egg. With this in mind, expect your newborn to feed little and often. Even if you’re using the best baby bottle, you won’t need to fill it with large amounts of milk just yet.

Newborns will feed slowly and will be practising their coordination to suck, swallow, and breathe whilst feeding. They’re embedding a skill that they’ve been learning to do since the twelfth week of pregnancy! Naturally, they will tire more easily and will require your comfort when they feed.

At this stage, it’s not about volume or speed; the focus is on rhythm and safety during feeding.

Common Newborn Feeding Challenges (and How Bottles Play a Role)

Newborn babies are still getting the hang of feeding, and that goes for breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. There will be challenges that crop up along the way, and having awareness and understanding of what you can do to prevent or alleviate them will make for a much smoother feeding experience.

Baby falls asleep during feeds

• The bottle teat flow could be too slow for them, and they tire from feeding before they have finished. Seek advice about swapping to a faster-flowing bottle teat.
• Change their nappy mid-feed to gently keep them awake.
• Undress them slightly so that the cooler air wakes them.
• Gently stroke their ears or the bottoms of their feet to keep them alert during a feed.

Baby struggles with latch (breast or bottle)

• Prepare your newborn for success and follow the “nose to nipple” technique. This helps your baby to latch onto the breast or bottle teat correctly and with a deeper latch.
• Position your baby slightly upright in your arms rather than lying down.
• Their lips will be “tucked in” if their latch is too shallow. A good latch shows the newborn's lips flanged outwards. They should have most of the bottle nipple and teat in their mouth.
• Check their sucking rhythm and that they are swallowing their milk. If milk is leaking from the sides of their mouth, it indicates the latch needs to be re-positioned.

Gas and Burping

Gas builds up when your baby has inhaled too much air during a feed, which can make them feel uncomfortable. There is no set rule on when and how often you should burp your baby, but you can look out for their feeding cues, which will tell you if they need to pause during a feed or afterwards.

• The best burping positions to wind your newborn are putting them over your shoulder (tummy against your chest with their head above your shoulder), sitting on your lap whilst you support their head and chest, or lying them across your lap.
• Always keep a muslin handy for any spit-up!
• If your baby is still uncomfortable, lie them on their back and cycle their legs (like they are riding a bike). You can also massage their tummy to relieve any trapped wind.
• Paced bottle feeding will also help your baby to inhale less air as they feed.

Nipple confusion

Some newborn babies develop nipple confusion or bottle aversion when they are combi-fed (breastfed and bottle-fed), and it can work both ways.

• Try a different baby bottle teat. Choosing a bottle nipple that mimics a mother’s breast in shape and texture will help them transition smoothly between the two.
• Nurse first and then switch to a bottle after a few minutes. They associate the two together, and this can also help your newborn feel more comfortable with bottle feeding.

Inconsistent feeding patterns

As your newborn starts to reach their developmental milestones and growth spurts, their feeding patterns can be disrupted. As long as they are producing wet and dirty nappies, this behaviour is expected.

• If your newborn is refusing a baby bottle, check the temperature of the milk and the bottle teat. Then, try offering it again after 30 minutes.
• Feed on demand following your baby’s feeding cues. This will help to reduce milk wastage and save you the battle of trying to force a baby to feed when they’re not ready to!
• Ask someone else to try offering a baby bottle instead, or change where you’re sitting to offer a “reset”.

What to Look for in Feeding Bottles for Newborns

There are only a few baby bottle features that you actually need to focus on when choosing feeding bottles for newborns. Most importantly, a slow-flow bottle nipple for your newborn to start with, so they can practise their feeding rhythm.

The baby bottle nipple must also support a deep latch (it doesn’t have to be a wide bottle nipple) and allow your baby to feed comfortably. The best baby bottles have very few parts to assemble, which also makes cleaning quick and easy!

One Thing Most Guides Don’t Talk About: Your Feeding System

These days, there’s more to feeding than just feeding bottles for newborns. A complete feeding system where you can pump, store, and feed with suits families because you don’t want to be transferring milk multiple times a day. No parent asks for extra washing up.

The best baby bottles often work as part of a complete feeding system. One that gives parents flexibility to make every feed and pumping session a smoother one.

How Pump-Compatible Bottles Make Life Easier

Feeding can be seamless and effortless, and it’s what every parent wants, considering how often babies need to be fed! Let’s introduce a system where you can pump, store, and feed in one flow. Less washing, spilling, and stress to make feeding times smoother.

Lola&Lykke Smart Electric Breast Pump & Breast Milk Storage Bags

Simplify your pumping and feeding routine with Lola&Lykke’s complete feeding system. Everything you need to get started, even if you’re new to breastfeeding and pumping. Pump on one breast and feed on the other, or pump and store milk into a bottle or breast milk storage bag; the choice is yours.

NaturalFlow Baby Bottle

Lola&Lykke’s NaturalFlow Baby Bottles are compatible with the Smart Electric Breast Pump, which gives parents the convenience they need in those early newborn days. The bottle teats come in a variety of flow sizes so they can grow up using their preferred baby bottle.

Mio tried the NaturalFlow baby bottle and says, “Excellent bottles and teat. Our 5-month-old has been using the smallest teat since birth; the size has been good, and there has been no need to replace.”

New father, Richard, says, “We have tried basically all the bottles for our son and had almost given up hope of a bottle he could take properly until we found this bottle! Excellent bottle that gives him a good grip and prevents him from swallowing so much air.”

When You Might Need a Bottle in the Newborn Stage

Even if you’re breastfeeding, you may choose to include baby bottles as part of your feeding routine. Using a baby bottle early on doesn’t mean breastfeeding won’t work. Many families evolve and change their baby’s feeding routine as they grow, and a baby bottle can be introduced at any time, even from newborn.

• Combination feeding: a mixture of breastfeeding and bottle-feeding using formula.
• Pumping while recovering from surgery (e.g. c-section).
• Involving your partner and other caregivers by expressing breast milk into a baby bottle.
• Medical reasons: when you cannot breastfeed, and you’re relying on expressed breast milk or formula for feeds.
• You prefer not to breastfeed in public, and you want to feed with a bottle instead.

Real-Life Feeding Setups Using Feeding Bottles for Newborns

Breastfeeding with the occasional bottle

• You choose to breastfeed most of the time or at specific times of the day (e.g. first morning feed or at bedtime).
• For convenience, you might use a manual breast pump to express and store breast milk in a baby bottle.
• When you are away from your baby, expressing into a baby bottle means you can relieve your breasts from engorgement, and it allows someone else to feed your newborn.
• For moments when you cannot breastfeed directly, a baby bottle of expressed milk or formula gives parents flexibility.

Pumping and bottle feeding

• You pump exclusively or some of the time alongside breastfeeding.
• You’re creating a breast milk stash in your freezer using breast milk storage bags and baby bottles for instant use or from the fridge.
• You can choose to pump into a breast milk storage bag or into a baby bottle.
• For mums who need to pump on the go, returning to work, or travelling and need a simple feeding system that gives flexibility out and about.

Combination feeding

• You want to feed with breast milk and formula milk.
• You need a feeding system that complements both types of feeding styles.
• You can breastfeed directly, pump into a baby bottle, or make up a formula feed in a baby bottle as and when needed, whichever fits the moment best.
• You want a bottle nipple that mimics the shape and texture of the breast for a smooth transition between breastfeeding and formula-feeding.

Common Mistakes with Newborn Bottles

We’ll let you in on some of the common mistakes parents sometimes make when it comes to choosing feeding bottles for newborns. Some of these mistakes stem from conflicting advice, word-of-mouth stories from other parents because it “worked for their baby”, or simply not feeling well-informed to choose well.

• Introducing a fast-flow bottle teat too early on can cause gas or reflux symptoms when your baby feeds.
• Switching bottles too often can lead to feeding refusal and uncomfortable tummies.
• Overcomplicating the setup so it feels stressful instead of seamless. Only invest in what you need, and the rest can come later.
• Ignoring your baby’s feeding cues leads to unhappy babies and bad feeding habits.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need the “perfect” baby bottle for your newborn. You need simplicity. You need baby bottle features that serve you and your baby now, in the newborn phase. Baby bottle compatibility with feeding systems is a bonus, but that can also come later. Be led by your baby and help them become comfortable with their feeding rhythm.

Sometimes the best setup is simply one that works together, from pumping to feeding, without adding extra steps.

FAQs About Feeding Bottles for Newborns

What size bottle do newborns need?

Newborns will only need 1-2oz of milk per feed to begin with because their stomachs are very small. Start with a baby bottle that goes up to approx. 150ml to begin with, and as your baby gets older, they may need a larger baby bottle for bigger feeds. Always start with a newborn bottle nipple with a slow-flow.

How many baby bottles do I need?

Baby bottle prep is simple when you get into a routine. To begin with, you will need 4-6 baby bottles because your baby will feed frequently. If you’re breastfeeding and using a baby bottle, you could use fewer than this.

Mum of two, Fran, says, “I started with 8 baby bottles to begin with and had these in rotation for feeding, cleaning, and sterilising. I used up to four bottles by midday and then prepped them again for the afternoon and bedtime cycle. I used baby bottles more with my son when we combi-fed in the first three months, and hardly any with my daughter, who was exclusively breastfed.”

Can I switch bottles easily?

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to switching bottles. The best advice here is to follow your baby’s feeding cues. If switching a baby bottle makes them unsettled or causes them to refuse a feed, then stick with what they are comfortable feeding with. If they are able to switch between different baby bottles without any fuss, this is also fine.

Do I need anti-colic bottles?

Not all babies need anti-colic baby bottles, but they can help your baby to inhale less air when they’re feeding. Anti-colic valves were designed to reduce gas and colic symptoms in babies during and after a feed.

How to sterilise baby bottles?

You can sterilise baby bottles using a boiling method, a steam steriliser, a microwave steriliser, or a cold-water sterilising solution. Follow our simple instructions set out in the Mamahood Manuals blog: When Can I Stop Sterilising Baby Bottles?